For the Info
2022
We Need New Stories
Fifth Word
For the Role
Disciplines:
Film, Photography, Audio Training, Graphic Design, Education
Sector:
Arts & Culture, Education & Schools, Community & Social Impact
For the Info
2022
We Need New Stories
Fifth Word
For the Role
Disciplines:
Film, Photography, Audio Training, Graphic Design, Education
Sector:
Arts & Culture, Education & Schools, Community & Social Impact
For the Brief
We were commissioned by Fifth Word to deliver a creative learning strand for the project We Need New Stories—a podcast series and touring exhibition that shares the oral histories of Zimbabwean-born residents living in Nottingham. ForFourth was tasked with facilitating hands-on workshops in film and photography for young people aged 16–25, helping them capture portraits and record interviews with project contributors. In addition to training delivery, we were also commissioned to produce a documentary capturing the full scope of the project from development through to launch. This included photography as well as film to visually document key moments across workshops, interviews, and the exhibition launch. We also identified a need during the process and designed a bespoke workbook for the young people to use throughout the sessions—a resource they could keep for reflection and future learning.
For the Style
The style was community-led, collaborative, and intimate. Visuals were captured in real-time alongside workshop activity, using a documentary approach that foregrounded the participants’ creative contributions. We worked with minimal interference to keep the work honest and rooted in the young people’s perspective, blending behind-the-scenes footage, portraiture, and audio storytelling. The final documentary layered these elements with subtle motion and pacing to reflect the rhythm of the oral histories being told.
For the Feed
For the Result
The documentary and visual assets served as both a record and a celebration of the project’s impact. The portraits taken by the young people formed part of the final exhibition display, while the film provided viewers with a holistic glimpse into the story behind the exhibition—from recording rooms to the gallery walls.—highlighting the power of creative expression and intergenerational storytelling. The training sessions empowered participants to develop practical skills in media and storytelling, many of whom contributed directly to the podcast and exhibition outcomes. The work was featured as part of the We Need New Stories exhibition and supported by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, Nottingham Playhouse, and The Space.
We also delivered ten individual, hour-long edited interviews with each participant who took part in the project—separate from the documentary—to preserve and share their stories in full.
Film, photography, audio training, and workshop facilitation delivered by ForFourth.